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Results for “BOUNDARY LAYER TRANSITION - EFFECT OF TURBULENCE”

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At least 19 records
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS1983

Analogies between transitional and turbulent boundary layers

One of the interesting aspects of transitional and turbulent boundary layers is the development of counter-rotating streamwise vortices near the wall. The most regular pattern is found in a boundary layer on a concave wall where the generation mechanism is known to be the Goertler instability. The origin of these vortices in other translational and turbulent boundary layers is presently unknown. Since the counter-rotating vortices are located in a region of strong shear, low-speed fluid is pumped away from the wall which coalesces into regions of low momentum lying between the vortices. As this pumping action continues, localized inflectional velocity profiles become apparent in the transitional and turbulent boundary layers. The oscillations which develop upon these profiles scale with the local thickness and velocity difference in the same manner as the two-dimensional steady free shear layer stability problems. The oscillations grow to large amplitude and break down into new turbulence in both the transitional and turbulent boundary layers.

Blackwelder, R. F.↗
NASA NTRS1984

Flat plate heat transfer for laminar transition and turbulent boundary layers using a shock tube

Heat transfer results are presented for laminar, transition, and turbulent boundary layers for a Mach number of 0.12 with gas temperatures of 425 K and 1000 K over a flat plate at room temperature. The measurements were made in air for a Reynolds number range of 600 to 6 million. The heat transfer measurements were conducted in a 70-ft long, 4 in. diameter shock tube. Reflecting wedges were used to reflect the incident shock wave to produce a flow Mach number of 0.12 behind the reflected shock wave. Thin film platinum heat gages were mounted on the plate surface to measure the local heat flux. The laminar results for gas temperatures of 425 K to 1000 K agree well with theory. The turbulent results are also close to incompressible theory, with the 1000 K flow case being slightly higher. The transition results lie between the laminar and turbulent predictions.

Brostmeyer, J. D.↗
NASA NTRS1987

Rough-wall turbulent boundary layers in the transition regime

An experimental investigation of turbulent boundary layers over two-dimensional spanwise groove and three-dimensional sandgrain roughnesses in the transition regime between hydraulically smooth and fully rough conditions is presented. It is found that a self-preserving state can be reached in boundary layers developing over both d-type groove and sandgrain roughnesses, and that the drag of a k-type rough wall can be reduced by lowering the spanwise aspect ratio of the roughness elements. The two roughness Reynolds numbers defining the boundaries of the transition regime of the k-type roughnesses are shown to decrease with increasing roughness-element spanwise aspect ratio, and the upper critical transition Reynolds number is shown to determine the roughness behavior in both the transition and fully rough regime.

Bandyopadhyay, Promode R.↗
NASA NTRS1974

Computer program for calculating laminar, transitional, and turbulent boundary layers for a compressible axisymmetric flow

Finite-difference computer program calculates viscous compressible boundary layer flow over either planar or axisymmetric surfaces. Flow may be initially laminar and progress through transitional zone to fully turbulent flow, or it may remain laminar, depending on imposed boundary conditions, laws of viscosity, and numerical solution of momentum and energy equations.

Albers, J. A.↗
NASA NTRS1974

Computer program for calculating laminar, transitional, and turbulent boundary layers for a compressible axisymmetric flow

A finite-difference program is described for calculating the viscous compressible boundary layer flow over either planar or axisymmetric surfaces. The flow may be initially laminar and progress through a transitional zone to fully turbulent flow, or it may remain laminar, depending on the imposed boundary conditions, laws of viscosity, and numerical solution of the momentum and energy equations. The flow may also be forced into a turbulent flow at a chosen spot by the data input. The input may contain the factors of arbitrary Reynolds number, free-stream Mach number, free-stream turbulence, wall heating or cooling, longitudinal wall curvature, wall suction or blowing, and wall roughness. The solution may start from an initial Falkner-Skan similarity profile, an approximate equilibrium turbulent profile, or an initial arbitrary input profile.

Albers, J. A.↗
NASA NTRS1988

Method for laminar boundary layer transition visualization in flight

Disclosed is a method of visualizing laminar to turbulent boundary layer transition, shock location, and laminar separation bubbles around a test surface. A liquid crystal coating is formulated using an unencapsulated liquid crystal operable in a temperature bandwidth compatible with the temperature environment around the test surface. The liquid crystal coating is applied to the test surface, which is preferably pretreated by painting with a flat, black paint to achieve a deep matte coating, after which the surface is subjected to a liquid or gas flow. Color change in the liquid crystal coating is produced in response to differences in relative shear stress within the boundary layer around the test surface. The novelty of this invention resides in the use of liquid crystals which are sensitive to shear stress to show aerodynamic phenomena such as a boundary layer transition, shock location, and laminar separation bubbles around a test surface.

Bruce J Holmes↗
NASA NTRS1975

Calculation of three-dimensional compressible laminar and turbulent boundary layers. An implicit finite-difference procedure for solving the three-dimensional compressible laminar, transitional, and turbulent boundary-layer equations

An implicit finite-difference procedure is presented for solving the compressible three-dimensional boundary-layer equations. The method is second-order accurate, unconditionally stable (conditional stability for reverse cross flow), and efficient from the viewpoint of computer storage and processing time. The Reynolds stress terms are modeled by (1) a single-layer mixing length model and (2) a two-layer eddy viscosity model. These models, although simple in concept, accurately predicted the equilibrium turbulent flow for the conditions considered. Numerical results are compared with experimental wall and profile data for a cone at an angle of attack larger than the cone semiapex angle. These comparisons clearly indicate that the numerical procedure and turbulence models accurately predict the experimental data with as few as 21 nodal points in the plane normal to the wall boundary.

Harris, J. E.↗
NASA NTRS1986

A New Method for Laminar Boundary Layer Transition Visualization in Flight: Color Changes in Liquid Crystal Coatings

The visualization of laminar to turbulent boundary layer transition plays an important role in flight and wind tunnel aerodynamic testing of aircraft wing and body surfaces. Visualization can help provide a more complete understanding of both transition location as well as transition modes; without visualization, the transition process can be very difficult to understand. In the past, the most valuable transition visualization methods for fight applications included sublimating chemicals and oil flows. Each method has advantages and limitations. In particular, sublimating chemicals are impractical to use in subsonic applications much above 20,000 feet because of the greatly reduced rates of sublimation at lower temperatures (less than -4 degrees Fahrenheit). Both oil flow and sublimating chemicals have the disadvantage of providing only one good data point per flight. Thus, for many important flight conditions, transition visualization has not been readily available. This paper discusses a new method for visualizing transition in fight by the use of liquid crystals. The new method overcomes the limitations of past techniques, and provides transition visualization capability throughout almost the entire altitude and speed ranges of virtually all subsonic aircraft flight envelopes. The method also has wide applicability for supersonic transition visualization in flight and for general use in wind tunnel research over wide subsonic and supersonic speed ranges.

Holmes, Bruce J.↗
NASA NTRS1991

Experimental study of boundary layer transition with elevated freestream turbulence on a heated flat plate

A detailed investigation to document momentum and thermal development of boundary layers undergoing natural transition on a heated flat plate was performed. Experimental results of both overall and conditionally sampled characteristics of laminar, transitional, and low Reynolds number turbulent boundary layers are presented. Measurements were acquired in a low-speed, closed-loop wind tunnel with a freestream velocity of 100 ft/s and zero pressure gradient over a range of freestream turbulence intensities (TI) from 0.4 to 6 percent. The distributions of skin friction, heat transfer rate and Reynolds shear stress were all consistent with previously published data. Reynolds analogy factors for R(sub theta) is less than 2300 were found to be well predicted by laminar and turbulent correlations which accounted for an unheated starting length. The measured laminar value of Reynolds analogy factor was as much as 53 percent higher than the Pr(sup -2/3). A small dependence of turbulent results on TI was observed. Conditional sampling performed in the transitional boundary layer indicated the existence of a near-wall drop in intermittency, pronounced at certain low intermittencies, which is consistent with the cross-sectional shape of turbulent spots observed by others. Non-turbulent intervals were observed to possess large magnitudes of near-wall unsteadiness and turbulent intervals had peak values as much as 50 percent higher than were measured at fully turbulent stations. Non-turbulent and turbulent profiles in transitional boundary layers cannot be simply treated as Blasius and fully turbulent profiles, respectively. The boundary layer spectra indicate predicted selective amplification of T-S waves for TI is approximately 0.4 percent. However, for TI is approximately 0.8 and 1.1 percent, T-S waves are localized very near the wall and do not play a dominant role in transition process.

Sohn, Ki-Hyeon↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Implementation of Two Local Correlation-Based Transition Models in OVERFLOW 2.3e

Accurate prediction of the laminar-to-turbulent boundary layer transition is highlighted as a vital component of NASA's CFD Vision 2030 Study. With an increased emphasis on greener air transports and sustainable aviation, transition modeling is anticipated to have an added significance, particularly in the applications related to laminar flow technology. However, unmanned aerial vehicles, crewed reentry vehicles, and ground-to-flight extrapolation all benefit from transition models. It is useful to incorporate a variety of models in CFD solvers because there isn't a single transition model that is ideal for the complete spectrum of applications. While the Langtry-Menter γ–Reθt model has been widely used for CFD predictions of flows with laminar, transitional, and turbulent boundary layers, it does not meet the criteria for Galilean invariance, a desirable attribute for rotorcraft applications. To help overcome that limitation, we have implemented Menter's SST-based γ transition model within NASA’s OVERFLOW Overset CFD code (version 2.3e). In addition, an SA-based implementation of the Langtry-Menter γ–Reθt transition model has also been implemented in view of the increased robustness of the SA-turbulence model for external aerodynamic applications. An initial assessment of the implemented models has been carried out using benchmark 2D test cases involving flat plates and the NLF-0416 airfoil, focusing on bypass, Tollmien-Schlichting, and laminar separation bubble-induced transition scenarios. In comparison to the Langtry-Menter γ–Reθt model, both models were found to produce increased computation efficiency, principally as a result of the decrease from four to three auxiliary transport equations. Results from the initial analysis will be presented, along with additional details pertaining to the deployment of these models.

CFD modeling↗
NASA NTRS1997

Large-Eddy Simulation of Transition to Turbulence in Boundary Layers

Large-eddy simulation results for laminar-to-turbulent transition in a spatially developing boundary layer are presented. The disturbances are ingested into a laminar flow through an unsteady suction-and-blowing strip. The filtered, three-dimensional time- dependent Navier-Stokes equations are integrated numerically using spectral, high-order finite-difference, and three-stage low-storage Runge-Kutta methods. The buffer-domain technique is used for the outflow boundary condition. The localized dynamic model used to parameterize the subgrid-scale stresses begins to have a significant impact at the beginning of the nonlinear transition (or intermittency) region. The flow structures commonly found in experiments are also observed in the present simulation; the computed linear instability modes and secondary instability lambda-vortex structures are in agreement with the experiments, and the streak-like-structures and turbulent statistics compare with both the experiments and the theory. The physics captured in the present LES are consistent with the experiments and the full Navier-Stokes simulation (DNS), at a significant fraction of the DNS cost. A comparison of the results obtained with several SGS models shows that the localized model gives accurate results both in a statistical sense and in terms of predicting the dynamics of the energy-carrying eddies, without ad hoc adjustments.

Huai, Xiao-Li↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Laminar to Turbulence Transition in Boundary Layers due to Tripping Devices

Direct numerical simulations (DNS)and linear stability analyses were performed to identify the mechanisms by whichtwo-and three-dimensional trips promote early transition in subsonic boundary layers over a flat plate. Investigations were conducted for threeboundary-layer transition trip configurations:a two-dimensional smooth hump,a two-dimensional rectangular-shapedrod and a three-dimensional zig-zagtape. The smooth hump was used by Park et al.1in the linear and nonlinear parabolized stability (PSE) computations. Reynolds numbersbased on the tripheights are 710, 683,and 300 for the two-and three-dimensional trips, respectively. Simulations withthe smooth hump showed that the flow becomes stable upstream and strongly unstable downstream of the hump. Simulations with the two-dimensional rectangular trip showed that the flow separates at the top of the trip and forms a long recirculation zonedownstream. However, the flow remains steady in the simulation without any external disturbances. Linear stability analysis showed that the inflectional profile in the recirculation zone is strongly unstable to frequencies in the range of 100-300 Hz. Simulations with the external disturbances forced at the frequency of 200 Hz showed that disturbances grow strongly inside the recirculation zone as observed in the Klebanoff2 experiment. Three-dimensional simulations with secondary disturbances of fundamental, subharmonic, and oblique types produced turbulent flows shortlydownstream. The three-dimensional zig-zag trip with a small roughness Reynolds number lead to early breakdown to a turbulent flow.

Stability↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Laminar to Turbulence Transition in Boundary Layers due to Tripping Devices

Direct numerical simulations (DNS)and linear stability analysis were performed to identify the mechanisms by which two-and three-dimensional trips promote early transition in subsonic boundary layers over a flat plate. Investigations were conducted for two boundary layer transition trip configurations: one is a two-dimensional rectangular-shaped rod and the other is a three-dimensional zigzag tape. Reynolds numbers based on the trip heights are 683 and 300 for the two-and three-dimensional trips, respectively. Simulations with the two-dimensional trip showed that the flow separates at the top of the trip and forms a long recirculation zone downstream. However, the flow remains steady in the simulation without any external disturbances. Linear stability analysis showed that the inflectional profile in the recirculation zone is strongly unstable to frequencies in the range of 100-300 Hz. Simulations with the external disturbances forced at the frequency of 200 Hz showed that disturbances grow strongly inside the recirculation zone as observed in the Klebanoff1 experiment.

Transition↗